Most people would probably agree that, these days, we are a much more touchy-feely nation than ever before. Or much more “politically correct”, if you want to be more politically correct about the label. But advertising is still one of those areas where anything goes.
It’s all about the shock factor – or at least, getting people’s attention. Sexism is still rife, but it’s by no means one way. In fact, I would tentatively venture to say that men get more of a raw deal these days in terms of being portrayed as daft and incompetent as Worzel Gummidge, if not as sex objects. But the whole Diet Coke series of ads is based around feisty, confident, horny young women needing a “Diet Coke break” so that they can go and ogle some hunk’s six-pack who needs to remove his shirt because – oh, dear – it seems to have got wet at just the wrong (right) time. I can’t imagine a similar ad being made the other way round, with the story flipped on its head.
Recently a radio ad has grabbed my attention, causing me to furrow my brow at my radio while driving. It’s an advert for “Drive Like A Girl” – an insurance company aimed predominantly at girls/women aged between 17 and 25 that specialises in providing insurance cover with reduced premiums if they “drive like a girl”. Whatever that means.
Well, ok, I’m being slightly disingenuous there. I know what they want people to think it means. It means driving very carefully, always sticking to the speed limit, not revving your engine too much and taking a break on long journeys. This is all monitored by the installation of a black box that, using telematics technology, feeds details of the driving style back to the insurance company. If they think you drive like a girl, they give you a rebate on your premium after a few months.
Female-specific insurance companies are not a new concept, of course. Sheila’s Wheels, for example, has been around for years – and great ads, by the way; very sing-along-able. Insurers state that, statistically, women are less likely to be involved in an accident. So there is certainly an argument for having female-orientated insurance companies, just as there are insurance companies tailored towards older drivers who are also statistically safer.
But Drive Like A Girl still makes me slightly uneasy. Let’s leave aside that I’m finding a lot of young female drivers increasingly aggressive these days and concentrate on the title. Plus I know of at least one woman who puts on makeup whilst driving – steering with her knees, no less. But the deliberate intention was surely to provoke and perhaps even to slightly annoy. As from December 2012, new regulations were introduced by the EU Gender Directive that prevented insurers from discriminating against drivers on the grounds of their gender. But although Drive Like A Girl is indeed gender-neutral (ie, men can insure with them too), there is an unequivocal target audience – and I would bet that most men wouldn’t want to insure with them purely because of the name.
Does that make it wrong? Well, in spite of my mild indignation (as a man and as an associate member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists!) no, it doesn’t. Pure and simple, this is clever marketing and clever advertising. There are so many insurers out there that most people don’t bother contacting them individually anymore to go through the whole boring process with each one. They now mainly use comparison websites and then pick one of the cheapest options. But by the use of four clever little words – Drive Like A Girl – this company has managed to slightly differentiate themselves in a marketplace where differentiation is next to impossible.
So, chaps, would you insure with them? Would you admit that you Drive Like A Girl?
Ashley is a copywriter, editor, blogger and man
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Ashley Morrison January 7th, 2014, at noon
Was it the whiney actors' voices, Jackie, or the premise in general?!